A Secret Never Told
by love me xx love me not
Summary: When Lorelai is twentyone she gets a call from someone who will change her life forever..first fanfic lets all be kind. its all one big chapter sorry about that..i dont own anything!


1A Secret Never Told.  
Twenty one year old Lorelai, just put her five year old daughter Rory to sleep. They lived in a little shack next to the Independence Inn, where Lorelai worked. It was home to them for four years. Just the two of them, for now.

Lorelai smiled as she saw her daughter playing with her dolls. Just then the phone rang, they normally didn't get many phone calls, mostly Emily trying to get them to visit.  
"Hello?" answered Lorelai.  
"Ms. Gilmore?" asked a man.  
"Uh..yes?"  
"Do you know a Tessa Smith?"  
"Oh my God yes, we were best friends in high school!" explained Lorelai.  
"Well, I'm sorry, Tessa died in a car accident with her boyfriend last night." Lorelai's smile dropped. Her stomach did all sorts of dance moves.   
"Oh no!"  
"She had a three month year old child, which she left..with you."  
"What?"  
"Lauren Beverley."  
"How? We haven't talked since high school."  
"She left her with you, and the will states 'if my husband or I dies..' she was set to marry in June.. 'then Lorelai Gilmore is to get Lauren, but if we die before Lauren is a year old, Lorelai is to not tell Lauren about us, and raise her as her own.'..so..you may pick up Lauren tomorrow at Hertford Hospital."  
"Huh?"  
"Tomorrow."  
"Uh..yeah okay."

Eleven Years later.

Lauren Gilmore watched her mother drive her sister to her first day at Chilton. Rory was so nervous. Lauren was nervous for her, but all nerves exited when she saw what her mother was wearing. That's all Lauren thought about all day. 'Rodeo outfit' laughed Lauren as she took a test in her fifth grade home room.

Two nights later Lauren was walking with her mother, sister and Lane down the street. Lane had to go so it was just the Gilmore women.  
"Hey what do you think of Luke?" asked Lorelai randomly.  
"What do you mean?" asked Rory.  
"I mean, do you think he's cute?"  
"Oh, no. No way."  
"No way what?"  
"You cannot date Luke.""You wanna date Luke?" asked Lauren.  
"I said nothing about dating Luke.""If you date him, you'll break up, and we'll never be able to eat there again."  
"I repeat, i said nothing about dating Luke."  
The girls walked back to there house. Lauren turned and looked into the diner at Luke wiping down the counter. 'Hmm. Mom and Luke. Interesting.'  
When they got home Lauren went straight to bed and Lorelai turned on the Tv. Rory went into her room and worked on Chilton stuff.

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Lauren and her mother talked about what they were gonna do all night. Rory was snowed in at there grandparents house and they were left bored.   
"Hey! Rory may think of good things to do, but so can we!" said Lorelai.  
"Yeah!"  
"Lets go do something!"  
"Yeah!" Lorelai and Lauren set out for the snowy streets of Stars Hollow. Lauren knew how much her mother loved the snow. It was her favorite time of year. Lauren was fond of it, but hated the feeling of being cold all the time, and wet. They walked up the street. They ran into Luke and started talking to him about traditions and the reenactment. Lorelai told them the 'magic snow' story Lauren heard one to many times. They continued walking and Lauren saw Lorelai freeze in her spot. She had a goofy smile on her face.  
"Mom?"  
"I smell snow."  
"What?"  
"Well, well, well." Lauren heard a man say to her mother. Lauren looked at him with a odd look.  
"What's up, Teach?" Lorelai asked.  
"What are you doing here?" asked the man.  
"I live here. What are you doing here?"  
"I was on my was back from Stamford, and my car decided to stop."  
"Here?"  
"Yes."  
"In my town?"  
"Emhm." Lauren cleared her throat.  
"I mean our town."  
"And who might this be?" asked the man.  
"This is my other daughter Lauren."  
"Your other daughter?"  
"Yes. Lauren this is Max."  
"Oh, so your Max Medina."  
"Yes, i am."  
Lauren looked back from one adult to the other.  
"Well, I'm gonna get home. I'm tired and cold. Bye mommy.""Bye sweetie." Lorelai kissed her daughter cheek and watched her run off.  
"Another daughter?" asked Max."Uh, yeah.""Sorry you never mentioned.""Well, i do.""I see. And how old is she?"  
"Eleven."  
The two adults walked and went to see a movie. When they got home Lorelai made sure Lauren was asleep and started kissing Max. They moved toward the stairs when Max stopped.  
"You have two kids?"  
"Yes?"  
"Who's that?" Lorelai turned around and saw Lane looking at them and ran back into Rory's room. Lorelai went to see what was the matter while Max waited. Lauren came down the stairs and stopped when she saw Max sitting on the couch.  
"Oh..hi." said Lauren.  
"Hi..your mother..and..this girl.."  
"Huh?"  
"We didn't properly get acquainted."  
"I'm Lauren."  
"I know this.."  
"So we did properly get acquainted."  
"I guess we did." Lauren nodded and went into the kitchen, and came back out in five minutes with a box of pills. Max looked at her oddly.  
"Its Advil. Chill" said the girl as she climbed up the stairs. Lorelai appeared in seconds.  
"Your other daughter, lovely girl."  
"She is, she know's i like you, and when ever i liked someone..she would try not to get along with them."  
"Oh?"  
"Yeah, she would..be rude, obnoctious, sarcastic, even sometimes really mean. I don't know why..i think she might be scared."  
"Really."  
"Yeah."  
Lorelai talked with Max for a long time and let him sleep on the couch. In the morning Lorelai was woken up by a car door slam. Rory was home and she was gonna walk in with Max on the couch. Lorelai raced down the stairs.  
"Hi." greeted Lorelai.  
"Hi. What's up?" asked Rory.  
"Nothing, what's up with you?"  
"You have something to tell me."  
"Boy, your so smart. Right, okay, here we go...I've got a boy in the house.""You what?"asked Rory surprised.  
"Nothing happened, I swear. He slept the whole night on the couch."  
"I would hope so, with your eleven year old daughter in the house."  
"Right..you know him."  
"I do." Rory followed her mother inside."Its Mr. Medina."  
"I know.""My English teacher is on my couch."  
"Hey whats up?" asked Lauren coming down the stairs. "What's he still doing here?"

"He..is Mr. Medina..Max..Mr...i don't know..but he couldn't go home last night because of the snow."  
Lauren shook her head and went into the kitchen. Rory followed.  
"You guys okay?"  
"There has never been a man in our house in the morning." said Rory.  
"You broke the code." said Lauren.  
"I know..but..you knew i was gonna date him.."  
"I didn't" said Lauren.  
"I was gonna tell you."  
"Yeah, okay.."  
"Do you love him?" asked Rory.  
"I, uh. . .we had one date. It was a great date, World Series level. But it was just a date. Honey, I promised myself a long time ago that I was gonna keep all this stuff separate from you guys, and I want you to know that, that still stands, okay? This was a one-time thing. I'm not gonna start just bringing guys home. This is not a trend."  
"Okay. And you can bring guys home..i don't care..i don't know about Laur, though." said Rory. They looked at Lauren who shrugged and said whatever.

The two went on a lot of more dates and seemed to be getting pretty serious, they broke up for a while but got together again to Lauren's disgust. One night when Lorelai was getting ready for a date with Max, Luke came over. Lauren listened to there convocation from the top of the stairs.  
"So Rachel left." said Luke.  
"What!"  
"Last night. She left for good."  
"Oh no Luke I'm so sorry."  
"She had her reasons."  
"Really? What?" Lauren heard Max open the door and come in.  
"I'll always be hear." she heard Luke say and nodded in agreement. When Luke left Lorelai and Max started arguing.  
"It's not like i didn't date while we were apart." Max said.

"You dated?"  
"A little."  
"A little person?"  
"No, i dated a little." Lauren shook her head._'The nerve.'  
_"...and uh you know i didn't exactly remain inactive."_  
__'Huh?'_  
"So you did date Luke?"  
"No, i did not date Luke."_'Who did my mother date?'_  
"...i slept with Rory's dad." _'SAY WHAT NOW!' _Lauren stood up. She was about to run to her room when she heard something she wish she didn't.  
"We should get married.""What?" whispered Lauren. She watched the two people talk more and leave for there date.  
"MARRIED!" yelled Lauren to the empty house. "OVER MY DEAD BODY."

Lauren remembered Lorelai being very happy the next day. She was all smiling and jumpy. _  
__'Stupid Max'_ thought Lauren. Max and her mother were getting married. Lorelai told him yes while they were at her grandparents house and Lorelai and Rory jumped while Lauren smiled and said 'woo!'  
One night Lauren walked into the diner.  
"Hey Luke." said Lauren as she sat on a stool.  
"Hey. Alone tonight?"  
"My mother is at her bachelorette party. She snuck Rory in. It was gonna be too hard to pretend i was eighteen."  
"Oh sure." said Luke as he filled the coffee machine.  
"Sure i felt left out, but i can suck it up." Luke smiled. "Hey Luke?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Can i tell you something?"  
"Sure."  
"Promise you wont tell mom? Or Rory?" Luke turned around. He got worried.  
"Sure what is it?" Lauren looked down.  
"I don't want mom to get married."_  
__'That makes two of us' _"why?"  
"Rory may not mind but in a few years I'm gonna go to Chilton. I don't wanna have my step father as my teacher. And i don't like him Luke...he..him and Rory have so much stuff to talk about, and i have nothing. I don't want him as a step father." a tear fell down her cheek. Luke felt bad for her. "From the first time i met him, i knew i didn't like him. Stupid snow. I left them and find him in my house in the morning. He thought i was a druggie."  
"What?"  
"I went to get Advil and he looked at me weird as i walked up to my room with the box of pills. Did he really think i would over dose on Advil..i mean Tylenol maybe." smiled Lauren. Luke poured Lauren a cup of coffee.  
"And he's gonna live with us, be with us every morning, be there when i go to sleep and wake up..i don't like it!..no one asked me if i was okay with this. If i was okay with having him as a father, i mean i never met my real father, and i have to have him as a fill in...and that's another thing..Rory gets too see her father, why can't i see mine." Luke grew nervous. But realized that she wasn't asking him the question. Lauren ranted for another fifteen minutes and went home. Luke felt bad, Lauren really didn't like Max. Neither did Luke.

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Lauren was sitting in the living room watching Tv, when Lorelai came running in the door.  
"Pack everything!" yelled Lorelai to Lauren."What?""Road trip!""Wedding?" Lorelai shook her head and ran into Rory's room. Lauren smiled and ran up to pack.

When they re turned from there road trip Lorelai was upset. She missed Max, everyone could tell. Lauren felt bad in a way. Everything was planned. Everything was ready, but Lorelai ran away from it. Rory was upset. Sookie and Emily were too. The only two who seemed not upset were Lauren and Luke. They were the only one's ..happy.

"Dinner?" asked Lauren as she came home from school.  
"Yes, Luke's nephew just moved here and Sookie is cooking and we get to meet him."  
"Goody."  
"Go clean up."  
"Yes." Lauren walked upstairs. She changed into a new outfit Sookie got her for her birthday, which was two weeks ago. When she walked back down she saw Luke and someone who appeared to be Jess. He was hot, but not her type. Lauren didn't have a type. Jess looked at Rory. And walked in her room.  
"They need to be supervised." said Lauren to herself.  
"Hello." said Lauren. "I don't believe we met. I'm Lauren."  
"who are you?" asked Jess.  
"I just said Lauren.." she rolled her eyes.  
" i mean, are you..Sookie 's daughter?" Jess asked as he laughed at the name 'Sookie.'  
"No..Lorelai 's.."  
"Seriously."  
"Uh yeah."  
"I'm sorry, you look nothing like them.." Rory's faced tensed up.  
"I look like my dad.."  
"Where is he?"  
"Never met him.."

"Okay..enough of this." said Rory. "Lets eat." The three moved into the kitchen.  
"Want a soda?" asked Rory.  
"I'll get one." replied Jess. Lauren walked into the living room with Rory, but saw Jess pull out a beer and move on outside. _'To tell or not to tell, that is the question.' _Lauren decided not to tell, but Lorelai found out soon enough. The night ended with Luke and Jess leaving before anything stared, Sookie and Jackson making all the food just for five people and having so much left overs that they are set till next Thanksgiving.

"so who was the hottie in the diner before?" asked Baily, Lauren's best friend.  
"Jess?"  
"Jess. You know him?"  
"He came over my house two nights ago for dinner."

"And you didn't call me?"  
"Baily, he is Rory's age.""So.""So, he's way to old for you."  
"And."  
"And i think he likes Rory."  
"Uh. She has a boyfriend. What's his face..?""Dean."  
"Yeah, and she gets the new town bad boy to like her..lucky."  
"Yeah..i guess."  
"Well, Jess is hot, you have to admit it."  
"Yeah, he is good looking..but not my type."  
"Lauren, I've known you for eight years..so that's since we were four..and never once have you had a crush on anyone."  
"So."  
"Its not normal."  
"I'm twelve. I didn't hit puberty yet..unlike you who hit it when she was ten."  
"Well, yeah, I guess."  
"Hey Baily?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Do i look like my mom?"  
"Huh?"  
"I mean..Jess said i look nothing like mom or Rory..mom always said i look like my dad..but...wouldn't i have at least one trait of my mother?"  
"Your hair..same color."  
"I guess."  
The girls walked off. They entered the diner and ordered soda. They talked for about another hour and went home.

The girls were sitting home watching Tv, when the phone rang.  
"Oh, I'll get it!" yelled Lorelai. "Hello?"  
"Hey Lor, its Chris."  
"Hey you, hows it going?"  
"Good, good. I'm on a little business trip here and I thought I'd call and check in on Rory."  
"Oh, she went to some biker party a few days ago and never came back."  
"Again?"  
"Yeah, we gotta start disciplining that girl."  
"And hows Lauren?"  
"Good, good everyone's good."  
"That's good."  
"Rory's right here is you wanna talk to her?"  
"Sure."Lorelai went into Rory's room where her and Pairs were talking. "Rory, your dad." Rory went over and took the phone."Hey dad."  
"Hey Ror. How's it going?"

"Its good."  
"Im in Lichfield on a business trip."  
"Really, thats great. For how long?"  
"A couple of days."  
"If you're here on Friday, can you come down to Chilton and watch my debate?""Really?"  
"Yeah, it starts at 3:30 but get there early."  
"Okay, i will. Wow Chilton up close."  
"Yup, see you there."  
"Bye."  
"Bye."

Lorelai, Sookie and Lauren took there seat at the Chilton debate.  
"Hey, do you see Chris anywhere?" asked Lorelai.  
"Chris is coming?" asked Lauren.  
"Uh .yeah..do you see him?"  
"Uh, well, no, no, no. Hey, what does he look like?" asked Sookie.  
"If you don't know, why are you looking?"  
"I'm looking for a guy that looks like a guy that you could be with, only I'm deducting seventeen years off his age and I'm adding an all-boys private school uniform and a Yankees cap."  
"And does your head hurt?"  
"Yeah."The debate began.  
"Let me introduce the debaters. On the Hillside Academy team we have Brad Lankford and Nancy Waterford. And on the Chilton team we have Rory Gilmore and Paris Geller." said the teacher.  
"Oww!" yelled Lorelai  
"Whoo!" cheered Sookie.  
Lauren sunk in her chair.  
"Were we not supposed to do that?" asked Sookie.  
"Maybe nobody noticed." whispered Lorelai.  
"Oh, mom they noticed." said Lauren who was very low in her chair.  
The debate was running smoothly. Lauren was very bored but turned her attention to Lorelai when she dropped her tissue on purpose in the aisle. Lauren turned her head and saw Chris with a women. 'Oh, he has a little playmate.'  
Lorelai, Sookie and Lauren started walking out but stopped short.  
"God." said Lauren as she bumped into Sookie. "Why we stop?"  
"There she is." said Sookie."Who?" asked Lauren  
"I see." said Lorelai."Who?"  
"She's got good hair.""Who does?"  
"Yeah."  
"Plus she's been sitting for an hour and her dress is prefect. Not a wrinkle? How does she do that?"  
"She must be a witch."  
"Yeah, and she does that no-hose thing."  
"You guys. Who the hell are you talking about?"  
"Sherry." said Lorelai."Oh..Chris' new girlfriend?"  
"Yes."  
"Lets go over and meet her." said Lauren as she started walking.  
"Lauren is very brave." said Sookie.  
"Very." they followed.  
"Hey there you two." said Lorelai.  
"Hey Lorelai. You guys get to meet at last. This is..."  
"Sherry."  
"Nice to finally meet you." said Sherry.  
"Yeah, i recognized you from the Christmas card."  
"Which I'm sure you mocked mercilessly."  
"Did not. Others yes, but not yours. Hey this is Sookie.""Nice to meet you." said Sherry  
"Nice to meet you. You have a very smooth dress."  
"Oh, well thank you. It's the fabric."  
"The fabric. Uh huh"  
"and this is my other daughter Lauren."  
"Hello Lauren."  
"Hi." said Lauren eyeing Chris with her mother.  
They talked and were joined by Rory. Then they rushed home to clean because Lorelai invited Chris and Sherry over.  
Sherry talked about wanting to hang out with Rory. Lauren wondered if her father was married again? If he had other kids?  
"So Lauren." said Sherry.  
"Yes."  
"Where is your father?" Lorelai, Chris and Rory looked at each other.  
"Oh, well.."  
"We don't see her father." said Lorelai.  
"Oh, I'm sorry, did i say something?"  
"No, no we just don't see him." said Rory.

Friday pulled along again. Only this time it was Chris, Lorelai and Lauren. Rory was out with Sherry. Emily was displeased with that idea. Emily talked with Lorelai in privet and left Lauren, Chris and Richard together.  
"So. Lauren, how is school?" asked Chris."Fine."  
"Your..twelve now..so its sixth grade?"  
"Yes.""Wow."  
"Emhm."

The next morning Lauren and Lorelai entered the diner.  
"Hey." said Luke.  
"Hey." replied the two girls.  
"No Rory this morning?"  
"She'll be here. She has to run an errand.""Okay."  
Rory entered and talked about what her and Sherry did the other night. Lauren laughed out loud when Rory said she was touchy feely and Lorelai replied with 'she didn't get fresh now did she?'  
Lauren saw Lane and her mother exit the house and tapped Rory.  
"Rory."  
"Oops, sorry zero hour. I have to go." she left Lorelai and Lauren together. Until Chris and Sherry walked in. Lauren let out a grown.  
"Just wanted to say our last goodbye's. Rory's not here?" asked Sherry.  
"She went out for a minute, but you can probably find her."  
"Okay, i will." Sherry left.  
"Hey, Lauren, can you leave me and Chris for a second?"  
"Why?"  
"Lauren."  
"Fine, I'll have my annual chat with Luke. Im over due for one." Lauren walked over to the counter.  
"So, quaint evening of theater last night." said Chris.  
"Ah yes, the Gilmore family players rival the Barrymores for their sophisticated, dramatic productions."  
"I never thought she'd freak over Rory not being there like that. I never wanted to put you in that position."  
"Oh, you couldn't have known."  
"I mean, Rory's missed the occasional dinner before."  
"Yeah, well, this was compounded by other things."  
"What other things?"  
"You should know as well as I that when it comes to Emily Gilmore, it's never simple."  
"Got it. Ah, looks like they found each other. You know, Sherry had a really good time last night. I hope Rory did too."  
"Yeah, she seemed to.""Good, good."  
"So Chris, before you go, um, I have something I wanna say to you."  
"Uh oh." "It's not an uh oh."  
"Okay, what?"  
"Well, I, um, I kind of realized something with you and Sherry visiting and God help me, because of something my mother said to me."  
"Wow, inspiration can come from the unlikeliest sources."  
"I was just thinking, you know, all these years, no matter what my relationship status has been, whether I've been dating or hibernating or whatever, I think I've always had you in the back of my mind - you know, the prospect of us being together. But this prospect was sort of indefinitely on hold while you, you know, found yourself and, uh, got your personal life together so that you could really be there for me and especially for Rory. But you and I have been so linked in my mind that I think I have unconsciously sabotaged every decent relationship I've had, including the one with Max, because I was waiting for you, and I shouldn't have been. And now that I see that, and I see you settling down with Sherry, I think I can move beyond it.""Good, I'm really glad this is good for you Lorelai."  
"It is. Chris?""How dare you put that on me?" yelled Chris. Lauren looked over as did everyone in the diner.  
"I'm just thanking you."  
"Well, don't."  
"What's wrong?"  
"What's wrong? Dammit Lorelai, you're dumping fifteen years of unhappiness on me? Fifteen years of not having healthy, lasting relationships on me? You're blaming me for breaking up with Max and not marrying him? That's all my fault?"  
"No, I just .. ."  
"I did nothing to deserve that."  
"I'm not saying that you did."  
"You're as good as saying it."  
"No, I'm not."  
"Then what did you expect to come from this divine revelation that you've been so kind to share with me? Did you want me to apologize to you for ruining your life or comfort you and say 'there, there, everything's gonna be all right' so you can feel okay? Forget it!"   
"Chris, wait!"  
"Look, if there's anything else you feel bad about in your life that you wanna dump on my doorstep, just leave a note!" he left. Lorelai glanced at the counter at Luke, who quickly looked down. Lorelai watched Rory hug her father and Sherry good bye. Lauren looked at her mother with tears in her eyes. She wanted to go up to Chris and hit him so bad. She never liked Chris, but now, she hated him. She wanted him to be burned on a torch like Joan of Arch. Lauren went by her mother.  
"Mom?""Not now." Lorelai got up and went home. Lauren looked at Luke and shrugged. Lauren wanted to yell at Chris and give him a piece of her mind. Everyone looked at Lauren follow her mother out the door.

--------------------------------------------------------------

The next day Lorelai still seemed upset. Rory wondered what was the matter, but Lorelai told Lauren not to tell Rory what happened. Luke asked Lauren if her mother was okay the next day, but Lauren didn't know how to answer. She wasn't okay. She wasn't not okay either. She was in the middle of okay and not okay.

"Hey Lauren?" asked Lorelai a few weeks later.  
"Yeah?"  
"Help us pick a movie for the town film festival!"  
"Why?"  
"Mom gets to pick it this year because she ticked the guy off who was supposed to pick the movie."  
"Okay..how about...Hard bodies?"  
"Wizard of Oz." said Lorelai."The Sting" chimed in Rory."Rocky."  
"Crimes and Misdemeanors."  
"The singing Detective."  
"That was a miniseries." said Lauren.  
"So?"  
"So its like six hours long." said Rory. Just then the phone rang.  
"Will you get that?" asked Rory.  
"No."  
"Why?"  
"Time."   
"6:45"  
"on?"  
"Wednesday. Ooh!. Rory picked up the phone. "Dad hi." Rory talked with her dad for a while as Lauren made faces.

Lorelai was sitting in the kitchen when she heard a knock at the door.  
"Pauline!" yelled Lorelai when she saw Luke.  
"What?" asked Luke confused.  
"Never mind. What are you doing here?"  
"Uh, i made some brownies, i thought you might like some."  
"Oh, gee, since i just ate half a bag of marshmallows, six pop tarts, four bagel dogs, and a really stale Cheese Nip, yup its brownie time. Thanks. Hey, here's a question for you."  
"Yeah?"  
"Well, you probably have a diner full of people who would love these brownies, plus i bet they'd pay you for em'.  
"Well, I accidentally dropped triple the amount of cocoa powder in the batter so I either had to dump the batch or find someone with some sort of superhuman chocolate tolerance – only one name came to mind"  
"God i love being special. What?" asked Lorelai when she saw Luke looking around."Nothing. I just..hey, uh, is Rory here by any chance?"  
"Yeah, she's in her room."  
"Can i talk to her for a sec?""Sure go right ahead."  
Luke walked into Rory's room. Lorelai waited and tried to listen but could only hear the muffled voices of the two people. Luke came back in five minutes."Okay, so I'll see you in the diner."  
"Wait, hold on. What was that all about?"  
"Oh, Rory's gonna tutor Jess."  
"She is?"  
"Yeah, just for a little while, help get him on the right track."  
"Wow.""Okay, i should be getting back. Enjoy the brownies, I'll se if i can screw up a cake for you later on.  
"Sounds great.""Bye." Lorelai followed Luke out and tried to tell him that Rory is so sweet and would say yes to anything, and that she needs to concentrate on her own school. Luke assured her that it wont be for long and Rory is smart and will stay on track with her own work.

Lauren thought the idea of Rory helping Jess was a good plan. Lorelai and Lauren dropped Rory off at the diner to tutor Jess and went home.

Rory walked in the diner and saw Jess sitting at a nearby table.  
"So, are you ready to start?" asked Rory.  
"Yes, i am." said Jess.  
"Where are your books?"  
"Huh, i don't know."  
"How are we gonna study without your books?"  
"Guess we cant. Too bad. So, what now..movie?"  
"Get your books."  
"The cat ate em'."  
"Get your books or I'm going home."  
"Wait there." They studied for a while, but Jess wasn't getting it.

"Explain to me the political ramification of the Marshall Plan."  
"Pick a card." Jess held out his cards in Rory's face. Rory grabbed them and threw them on the floor. "Huh, well that just made the trick a little bit harder."  
"Jess focus."  
"Where's Dean tonight?"  
"We just went over this. There's no way you already forgot it."  
"Work?""I will make you write it out fifty times on the specials board if thats what it takes."  
"Cause, if he's not a work, he must be free, so he doesn't care you're here?"  
"No, he doesn't. He's visiting his grandmother."  
"Where?""Chicago."  
"So he doesn't know?"  
"It wouldn't matter."  
"So you'll tell him when he gets back.""We're studying."  
"your studying."  
"Jess, why won't you at least try to remember the Marshall plan?"  
"Have you ever read 'Please Kill Me'?""No.""You should." Rory sighed. Rory made Jess write Shakespeare, but he wrote words to a Clash song. He made her guess which Clash song it was, and she got it. Then Jess wanted to get ice cream.

They drove to get their ice cream and talked.  
"So, what's up with your sister?" asked Jess.  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean, she's different then you and your mom. And what's with her dad? Was he like a pot head or something?""Jess, its not a subject i like to talk about."  
"Why?"  
"Because..okay, you promise not to tell anyone i told you?"  
"What?"  
"You cant tell Luke i told you, or mom, or the town."  
"Everyone knows this secret?"  
"Yes."  
"I'm out of the loop once again."  
"Well, I'm about to let you in the loop if you promise."  
"I promise."  
"Okay...when i was five mom's high school friend Tessa died, and so did her boyfriend. Lauren was there daughter. She was three months old and they left her with us. Their will said that if they died before Lauren was a year old, that my mom was to raise Lauren as she own and never tell her about them. So Lauren doesn't know, and thinks that Lorelai is her real mother and I'm her real sister. She thinks her father left mom when she was pregnant and its to painful to keep a picture of him in the house. That his name was Robert."  
"Wow." said Jess stunned.  
"Yeah."  
They stayed silent.   
"Okay, we can go straight and go back to Luke's. Or we can turn right and drive aimlessly. Your call." Rory looked at Jess and smiled. "Turn right." he did.

Lauren and her mother were talking in the kitchen. Lauren was laughing at something Lorelai said when the phone rang.  
"Hello?" answered Lorelai.  
"Mom?" said Rory."Oh, Rory, great. Tell us, was it the China Ball, the China Doll, or the China Wall that had the really good shrimp balls?" Lauren laughed again at the Shrimp ball name.  
"I think it was the China Doll." Rory heard Lauren say 'see i told you.'  
"Okay, these can go. You'll be so proud of me, I'm organizing the takeout drawer. I'm weeding out all the dogs and I'm putting happy face stickers on the dishes that have been huge successes to make our ordering more efficient. Where are you?"  
"I need you to be calm." Lorelai's face turned pale. Lauren looked at her mom in worry.  
"Calm about what?"  
"Calm about what i have to tell you.""What, where are you?" Lauren looked scared.  
"I'm all right."  
"Well, of course your all right, why wouldn't you be all right?"  
"Because. . .I got in an accident."  
"What? What accident? What do you mean you got in an accident?" Lorelai said looking at Lauren with fear in her eyes. Lauren felt her heart go up in her throat.  
"Jess and I went for ice cream and we were just driving and it was dark and this dog or cat or possum, I don't know – it was small and furry, and it ran out into the middle of the road and Jess swerved and – .""Jess swerved?"  
"Yes."  
"Jess was driving?"  
"Yes."  
"Jess was driving your car and you got in an accident?"  
"But I'm fine and he's fine and the furry thing is fine. The car's a little messed up, but there's nothing for you to be worried about."  
"Where are you?"  
"I'm in the hospital." Lauren remembered running out the door with her mother and to the hospital. Her mother ran to the nurse and told her to go in a room where Rory was. When they did, the doctor was wrapping her arm. Lorelai was fuming. Lauren was scared stiff. She didn't hear Rory's end of the convocation but by the looks Lorelai was giving her, it wasn't good. Thank God it was only a fracture.  
Lauren and Lorelai ran into Luke's. Lorelai banged on the door screaming for Luke. Luke appeared and Lorelai pushed her way in. Lauren waited by the door.  
"Where is he?" asked Lorelai.  
"Who?"  
"Jess! Where's Jess Luke?""I don't know, i just got back. What's going on? I got here and they weren't here."  
"Jess!"  
"Hey, talk to me!"  
"Jess, answer me right now!  
"What's wrong what happened?"  
"There was an accident.""What, what accident?"  
"Jess!"  
"What accident!""Jess was driving Rory's car and he crashed it."  
"What. When?"  
"What do you mean when? Tonight, tonight, he crashed it tonight! Jess dammit!"  
"What happened? Is anyone hurt? Lorelai!...hey I'm talking to you here.""Where would he be? Where would he go?"  
"I asked if anyone was hurt?"  
"Uh, was anyone hurt? Well, Rory's in the emergency room with a fractured wrist, so yeah I'd say someone was hurt.""Rory fractured her wrist?"  
"Yes she has to wear a cast now for two weeks."  
"Mom.." Lauren whispered.  
"What about Jess is he hurt?"  
"No, Luke, Jess did the hurting. The little punk nephew of your almost killed my kid tonight."  
"Look, I'm sure it was an accident. Accidents happen."  
"Not with my kid in the car, they don't."  
"Okay, you just need to calm down."  
"Why did you do this?"  
"What are you talking about? Why did i do what?""Why did you bring him here?"  
"What?"  
"If you hadn't brought him here, none of this would've happened."  
"This is my fault?"  
"Yes, it is your fault! You told him to come, you let him stay. Everybody hated him, everybody knew he was trouble but you wouldn't listen and you wouldn't send him home and now my daughter is in the hospital!"  
"Mom.." Luke walked past Lauren and outside. Lorelai followed him.  
"You kept pushing them together. You asked her to help him study, you knew she'd never say no. I told you it made me nervous, I told you I didn't like it and I should've stopped it right there. But you thought Rory would be good for Jess, never mind what he'd be for her. That wasn't important at all, was it?"  
"Of course if was important."  
"Why didn't you put a stop to it at the first sign of trouble? Why didn't you make him leave?"  
"He's my nephew. I had an obligation to take him in, I had an obligation to care for him."  
"You had an obligation to this town and to me and to Rory. Where are you going?""I have to find out where Jess is."  
"Well, I'll tell you where he's not – he's not in the emergency room having him arm plastered  
up!"  
"Hey, I am sorry about Rory. You know I care more about her than I do myself, but at least you know where Rory is and at least you know that she's okay. Now, I have to find Jess and I have to make sure that he's okay, and if that cuts into your screaming time, well that's just too damn bad!"  
"Go to hell!"  
"Right back at ya!"  
"Stop it! Both of you!" screamed Lauren. They both looked at her. "Shit happens! Rory didn't get that hurt and I'm sure Jess isn't hurt if he could talk to the cops and make sure Rory was okay." Lorelai walks off and so does Luke. Lauren watched her mother pull her cell phone out and call someone, then she watched Luke turn down a rode.

they went home. Rory was in bed and Lorelai and Lauren were making sure she was okay and situated. Lorelai was sleeping in Rory's room and woke up to find Chris sleeping in the chair next to her. She woke him up and brought him in the kitchen and found Lauren asleep with her head on the table.  
"Shhh." said Lorelai as they sat next to her. "Hey, what are you doing here?"  
"I had a really crappy mattress at home."  
"Chris."  
"I drove here as fast as I could and I went to the hospital but you guys had already left so I tried your cell phone but all I got was the voice mail so I came here but the place looked dark so I got the key out of the turtle and came in but you guys were already asleep so I just grabbed a chair and. . . and apparently my evil plan worked exactly as I anticipated."  
"I'm so glad you're here.""Me too. How is she?"  
"She's in a cast."  
"I know."  
"The doctor said she'll be fine, he'll take it off in a couple of weeks. The car is totally gone and I have to call the insurance guy tomorrow and. . .I don't know."  
"Did you find that kid?"  
"Jess?"  
"Jess, dead meat whatever his name is."  
"No, the little ferret is hiding out somewhere."  
"Okay, well, I'm gonna deal with the car tomorrow and I still wanna talk to the doctor, if that's okay, and I'm gonna need a picture of this Jess so I don't accidentally rip the head off the wrong kid 'cause that would be bad."  
"Look at you all springin' into action."  
"About time, don't ya think?"  
"I like the superhero you."  
"Just trying to keep up.""So, are you staying here tonight or do you have to rush back?" Lorelai rubbed Laurens hair.  
"No, I wanna spend some time with Rory tomorrow."  
"You want coffee?"  
"Yeah, I'll make it."  
"Perfect. Oh my God. When Rory called me tonight and said the word hospital, I just legitimately thought I was having a heart attack, and let me tell you, it was not fun. I'm joining a gym tomorrow, that's how not fun it was."  
"See if you can get a two for one membership."  
"Hey about the fight we had the last time you were here..."  
"Ah yes, that was a doozy wasn't it."  
"I just didn't mean to..""No i shouldn't have.."  
"I shouldn't have.."  
"No, but if i implied that.."  
"You didn't I'm sorry."  
"Me too. But..Lauren here...isn't to fond of you."  
"You told her?""She was there."  
"Shit."  
"Yeah."  
"I'll talk to her tomorrow."  
"That would be good."

The next day Lorelai went out with Rory and Chris was left with Lauren.  
"Lauren can i talk to you for a minute?"  
"Why?"  
"I wanted to say I'm sorry about how i treated your mom."  
"Whatever.""Can we be friends again?"  
"We were never friends."  
"Well, can we be on speaking terms?"  
"Were speaking now aren't we, and i still don't like you."  
"Lauren.."  
"I believe your minute is up. Bye." Lauren walked up to her room. Chris shook his head and walked out the door. He ran into Lauren and Rory walking down the street.  
"Hey you talk to Lauren?" asked Lorelai.  
"Yeah."  
"And.."  
"She hates me. She is really hard on some people."  
"The Gilmore Charm..plus her mother had it too." smiled Lorelai.  
"Can you talk to her for me?"  
"Yes i will, hang with Rory while i do.""Okay." Chris walked up to Rory and started talking. Lorelai went inside. She climbed up the stairs and opened Lauren's door.  
"Lauren?"  
"Yeah?""Can we talk?"  
"Sure."  
"Why did you do that to Chris."  
"Ugh.""No Lauren, he said sorry. He said sorry to me and i accepted."  
"Why did you?"  
"Huh?"  
"He always comes into the picture, and then leaves and leaves you and Rory heart broken, but every time you forgive him like he did nothing. He says he is gonna stay, its different this time Lor, theres gonna be a change. But he never keeps his word. He yelled at you in frount of everybody and i saw your face. I don't like it when you look like that. And now everything is messed up with Rory and Jess and Luke and now of corse Chris is back again saying hes gonna be different? What about Sherry? What about them? I don't like to see the faces on you two when he leaves." Lauren looked at her mother.  
"Your right. But this is for Rory. Let her have her dad."  
"I don't have mine.""Uh, because yours was no good."  
"I know. Can i at least see a picture?"  
"Don't have any sweetie, sorry. Lets go see Rory."  
"Uh okay."

It was the day of Sookie 's wedding. Lorelai, Rory and Lauren were bridesmaids and everything was prefect, until Lauren saw Lorelai kissing Chris. Lauren felt like the whole discussion they had never happened in Lorelai 's mind. That she wasn't paying any attention to what she said. Then Lauren turned and saw Rory kissing Jess. What was going on? They walked down the aisle and no one was happy. Rory said she was gonna go to Washington for the summer, Lorelai had a frown and Lauren wasn't looking in her mother's eyes. When they got home, Lorelai told them that Sherry was pregnant and Rory was upset that her father was leaving again. Lorelai looked at Lauren who just shook her head. Rory flew to Washington the next week and Lorelai and Lauren were left alone. They both missed Rory and weeks later Lauren saw Jess kissing some blonde.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One night Lauren was woken up by her mother. It was around five in the morning.  
"What?"  
"I had a dream."  
"Great, anything else."  
"In the dream, i woke up to a bunch of alarm clocks and went downstairs and there was Luke just standing there, making breakfast. He talked to me and talked to my stomach and kissed me."  
"Talked to your stomach?""I was pregnant. With twins.""Your kidding."  
"I cant call your sister. Help."  
"Uh..maybe you just miss Luke. You haven't talked with him for months. Can't you just forget this stupid fight."  
"I told him to go to hell."  
"I know."  
"And he said right back at ya."  
"I know.""I was mean."  
"Yes, but if you say your sorry, I'll take you to the zoo."  
"What if he doesn't want to be my friend anymore?"  
"Mom, Luke will want to be your friend. Go back to bed and dream about other things...like crayons...paper cups...Colombia.." Lauren drifted off to sleep. Lorelai went back to bed.

that day they picked up Rory from the airport and only Lauren and Lorelai went to Friday night dinner. They were ambushed with Chris/Lorelai questions, and then Chris/Sherry/Baby questions. By the end of the night Lauren waited in the car while Lorelai went into Luke's and said sorry like a good little girl.

Lorelai loved going back to Luke's. And Lauren loved going into Luke's with the whole family again. The whole Chris/Sherry thing was dropped until further notice and things went back to normal. Then Rory was invited to Sherry's baby shower. Lorelai and Lauren were only going to drop off Rory, but ended up going in as well.  
The four entered the apartment together. Lauren and Lorelai gripping Rory's arms for dear life.  
"Nice place." said Lorelai.  
"Very nice." said Lauren and Rory at the same time.  
"Thank you. Lets let you meet the gang." they entered a room where six other women were gathered.  
"You've got Gail, Jody, Maureen, Linda, Susan, and Alice." said Sherry pointing to the women.  
"Hey." said the three.  
"This is Christopher's daughter, and Lorelai and Lorelai's other daughter."  
"Are you Christopher's too? asked Linda."Oh no...no..someone else's im afraid." said Lauren.  
"Oh. Well...mojito?" asked Maureen.  
"No." said Lorelai.  
"So..i found out it's a girl..Georgia. GiGi for short." said Sherry. Lauren snorted but covered it up with a cough.

The rest of the day was filled with mocking by Lorelai and Lauren and Rory trying to be nice and friendly. They played games and Sherry gave them deviled eggs to take home, which they ended up throwing at Jess's car that night.

It was Laurens thirteenth birthday. They had a huge blowout in the square. They played loud music and games. Then Lauren asked Lorelai to tell her about the day she was born. Everyone froze. They stared at Lorelai.  
"Okay, its was a beautiful day..and the birds were chirping..the sun was shining..it was a nice day..and i was talking to... Sookie ..on the phone..and my water broke and Sookie drove over and took me to the hospital and you were born...the end." Lauren looked down.  
"Okay." Lorelai was upset at herself. Why didn't see make up a story a long time ago?  
Lorelai got Lauren a cell phone and Rory got her an Ipod. Everyone else got her great gifts and by the end of the night, she was beat. She jumped into bed and fell asleep as soon as her head touched her pillow.

A few nights later Lauren was woken up by a frantic Lorelai.  
"Get dressed!" she yelled.  
"Why?"  
"Fire!""Fire! Where? Here?"  
"No the inn! Never mind don't get dressed...just..grab your coat!" Lauren ran out of bed and got her coat. They drove to the Independence Inn and saw fire trucks and all the guests outside.  
"Sookie!" cried Lorelai.  
"Lorelai. This is Lorelai Gilmore." said Sookie to the fire chief.The structures stable, but we cant get people back in for 24. Hours." said the chief.  
"Excellent. Twenty four hours, the structures stable, thank you."  
"Thats okay."  
"Okay guys. Phase two."  
"Loving the pace here." said Sookie.  
"Um, we need food, we need computers with Internet, we need phones. Michel, I need this on you stat. Hurry, hurry. Rory?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Um, help the guests with the kids, make sure they're not freaked out. Gather them up and entertain them for awhile so the adults can catch their breath."  
"Right. I have never entertained kids – how do I do that?"  
"Lauren help her. Uh, take your socks off and do a puppet show..."  
"You've clearly never entertained kids either." said Lauren as they ran off."Hi everybody. Good morning, and uh, whoa, talk about your change of plans here. Unfortunately, you, uh, can't get your stuff out for at least a day. However, if you wanna get home immediately, we will check planes, trains, whatever you need. We will send your stuff to you later as soon as we get it. But if you can't get home yet, we will provide everything short of anything illegal, and that's gonna start with the best breakfast of your lives." Lorelai turned to Sookie. "Uh, Sookie, go to the market and get whatever food and supplies we need for breakfast."  
"Going."  
Lorelai walked over to Michel. "Who are you on the phone with?" asked Lorelai.  
"The Cheshire Cat Inn."  
"Ah, great, find places to sleep. Excellent."  
"Yes, my name is Michel Gerard, i used to work at the Independence Inn and I was wondering if there was any positions available?" Lorelai walked over and with a frown grabbed the phone away and turned it off.  
The rest of the day was breakfast at Luke's, making sure Michel didn't kill Ms. Patty and Babette, from getting the inn guests a place to sleep. Lorelai held up the two families of the Poe society. They sacked in Rory's room and Lauren's room while Fred Jr. slept on the couch. Lauren was gonna share a room with her mother, but then another family showed up. They were homeless.

Rory was getting ready to sleep at Lane's when her cell phone went off.  
"I'm a nomad." she heard Lorelai say.  
"What?""I am the lonely wanderer. Hank Williams was too sad to write a song about me."  
"Where are you?"  
"Oh, I'm a Bedouin. I'm homeless!"  
"Ok stop that. Where are you?  
"Me and your sister are walking aimlessly around town."  
"Why?"  
"The Hatlestads showed up.""But they went home."  
"Apparently I made the whole emergency fire accommodations sound so fun that they had second thoughts."  
"You're a terrific salesman."  
"And a terrific idiot."  
"I second that." said Lauren.  
"So where are you right this second?"  
"Oh, the middle of the street, a.k.a our bedroom."  
"Mom."  
"Where by the school, Luke's that area."  
"Luke's, good. Go there."  
"It's closed."  
"But Luke is upstairs."  
"Oh.""Ask him if you guys can stat."  
"But..""I bet the answer's yes."  
"He'll make us eat a veggie burger!"  
"Get moving."  
"Fine bye."  
"Bye." Lauren looked at her mom."So Luke's?"  
"Yeah." Lauren and Lorelai dropped there things on the floor and Lorelai picked up a rock. She through it at the window and screamed Luke's name.  
"Luke! Luke! Stella!" yelled Lorelai.  
"Who is that?" asked Luke sticking his head out the window.  
"Lorelai."  
"And Lauren!"  
"What are you doing down there?"  
"Enjoying some air, getting some exercise..""And freezing!" yelled Lauren.  
"Well, go home."  
"Home, we have no home. Hunted, despised."  
"What?"  
"Its from Ed Wood the movie."  
"Have you gone bonkers?"  
"People are bunking at our place and we need a place to crash."  
"And it just occurred to you now to look for a place?""The stupid Hatlestads showed up." said Lauren.  
"Who?"  
"PIPE DOWN OUT THERE!" yelled a woman.  
"Go back to bed, Mrs. Slutsky!" yelled Luke.  
"DON'T TALK TO ME THAT WAY, YOUNG MAN!"  
"Throw your keys down!" yelled Lorelai.  
"I WILL NOT!""No, Luke Mrs. Slutsky!" said Lauren.  
"I'll just come down." said Luke.  
"Do something!" said Mrs. Slutsky.  
"Ditto!"   
"I'm coming down."  
"Okay."  
Lorelai and Lauren stared at Mrs. Slutsky.  
"My, inn caught fire..."  
"HURRY LUKE!" yelled Lauren.  
Lorelai and Lauren piled into the apartment. They looked at their surroundings. It was the first time Lauren was in Luke's place and it looked just like she thought it would look like. Lorelai and Luke fixed the bed and Lauren sat on the couch and watched them with a smile.  
"Oh don't do that." said Luke.  
"Don't do what?" asked Lorelai.  
"Don't pull the sheet back after i pull it. I need some on this side...you pulled it back again!""Okay, i need it for my side."  
"I need to tuck it in."  
"Same here.""I always tuck it in on this side."  
"Let's tuck it in on both sides."  
"You tuck a bed in on both sides?"  
"Yes, and then I slip down into it like I'm in a straight jacket."  
"Oh, you must feel right at home."  
"I so set you up for that." Luke walked over to the couch where Lauren was sitting.  
"You know, we should take the couch." said Lorelai.  
"Oh, now come on."  
"What?"  
"You browbeat me into giving you the bed and pretending you don't want it now isn't working.""I'm pretending to try to be polite."  
"I'm fine with the couch, are the two of you gonna fit on the bed?"  
"Yeah we can manage."  
Lauren and Lorelai sat on the bed when the phone rang.  
"Hello? . . .oh, hey, Nicole, hi. . .Yeah, I'm good. . . Oh, not much. There was a fire at the local inn out here and. . .Yeah, the one she works at, yeah. . .Everybody's fine. Yeah, just a lot of chaos for awhile. So how was your thing today? . . . All right, fill me in tomorrow. . . Seven's good. . .Okay. . . Okay, yeah. . .Goodnight. That was Nicole.""So we heard...how come you didn't tell her we were here?"  
"Didn't come up."  
"So she didn't out of the clear blue ask you if we were sleeping over?"  
"Didn't seem necessary."  
"Well, you have nothing to hide here. You just took in two refugee's."  
"I know there's nothing to hide. Its just that...you've kinda been a..."  
"Been what?""A sore subject with Nicole."  
"What, how?" Luke explained to them about his dates and "Lorelai" talk. Lorelai gave Luke the "no other women talk on dates" talk.  
"I'm going to brush my teeth." said Lauren as she grabbed her toothbrush and went into the bathroom.  
"Wow total deja vu." said Lorelai.  
"Really?""It's the alarm clock. I had a dream once that you set eighteen alarm clocks to get me up, which is not a bad way to get me up."  
"Where were we?"  
"We were, um, at my house. I got up, i went downstairs for coffee, and you talked to my stomach."  
"Why on earth would i do that?"  
"Well, because i was pregnant. Twins."  
"Mine?"  
"What am i the dream tramp of corse yours."  
"We were married?"  
"Um, yeah. Did i not mention that?""No. You know, you shouldn't drink coffee when your pregnant.""Uh, true."  
"Its probably why Rory's a caffeine addict."  
"Right, your right."  
"Dream go beyond that?"  
"No. Um, you talked to my stomach and then you ki..well no."  
"Mom, didn't you say he kissed you?" asked Lauren as she moved toward the bed.  
"I kissed you?"  
"Uh..well..yeah."  
"Several times." pointed out Lauren.  
"Several?" asked Luke.  
"Yeah..well, uh..one time you kissed me...but i kissed you the second.""Oh." Lorelai and Luke smiled. Lauren smiled and looked at the two people while she shook her head. Luke listened to Lorelai talk to her daughter.  
"You are mean."  
"I learned from the best...mom?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Was Luke a good dream kisser?"  
"Yeah, he was."  
"I bet you wanna kiss him in real life.""Shhh you." Lauren glanced at Luke who was smiling. Did he hear all of that? Yeah he did, Lauren could tell.

Luke woke up the next morning and saw Lorelai on her stomach taking up half the bed and Lauren half off the bed with her hair in her face. Luke smiled and took a shower. When he came out they were still out cold. Luke tapped Lorelai and she woke up and smiled when she saw him. "Your bed is comfortable." said Lorelai.  
"I second that." said Lauren as she yawned. Luke smiled and went down to the diner. Lorelai and Lauren entered about twenty minutes later and found Rory sitting drinking coffee at a table.  
"Hey." said Rory."Hi."  
"How was your night?"  
"Your boyfriend snores." said Lorelai.  
"Big time." said Lauren.  
"Too much information."  
"Hey Rory?" asked Lauren.  
"Yeah?"  
"Did you decide yet? Yale..Harvard...?"  
"Mom thinks its Yale.."  
"I do." said Lorelai.  
"But i don't know."  
"Honey, i know we talked about Harvard for a long time. Years. But Yale is the wiser choice."  
"Maybe..i just have to get to school.""Me too." said Lauren.  
"And we have to get to the inn."

Rory decided to go to Yale. It was a big choice, everyone seemed happy with the idea. Emily and Richard were thrilled. They called up all there friends and told them that their grand daughter was going to Yale. There happiness soon ended. It was Lorelai's birthday and Richard gave Lorelai money that he was saving since she was born. Lorelai decided she would pay back the money she was borrowing from her parents for Rory's school. Emily got mad at Lorelai and Richard and Richard got mad at Lorelai, because he didn't want Emily to know about their meeting and the money.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jess was gone. Rory was upset, but was more focused on her graduation. She was valedictorian and everyone was so proud of her. Today was her graduation day and all three girls were going to Europe the next day. Lauren got all her bags and put them in the living room. She asked her mother why she was so out of it, Lorelai replied with 'my baby is going to college.' Lauren knew that was some of it, but also that Luke was going on a cruise with Nicole. A women she didn't like very much.

Everyone drove to Chilton. Everyone was there. Emily, Richard, Sookie, Jackson even Luke came. Of corse no Chris. The ceremony started. Paris was to say the pledge of allegiance, and used air quotes. It was time for Rory's speech. Everyone looked at her with pride. They were so proud of her.

"Headmaster Charleston, faculty members, fellow students, family and friends, welcome. We never thought this day would come. We prayed for its quick delivery, crossed days off our calendars, counted hours, minutes, and seconds, and now that it's here, I'm sorry it is because it means leaving friends who inspire me and teachers who have been my mentors - so many people who have shaped my life and my fellow students' lives impermeably and forever. I live in two worlds. One is a world of books. I've been a resident of Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County, hunted the white whale aboard the Pequod, fought alongside Napoleon, sailed a raft with Huck and Jim, committed absurdities with Ignatius J. Reilly, rode a sad train with Anna Karenina, and strolled down Swann's Way. It's a rewarding world, but my second one is by far superior. My second one is populated with characters slightly less eccentric but supremely real, made of flesh and bone, full of love, who are my ultimate inspiration for everything. Richard and Emily Gilmore are kind, decent, unfailingly generous people. They are my twin pillars without whom I could not stand. I am proud to be their grandchild.  
My sister Lauren. She is the best sister anyone could ask for. She could turn the most dullest occasion into the most funniest and trilling. You could be having your worst day ever, but one minute in a room with Lauren and it's the best. She is never serious and is always optimistic. We have been best friends since before i could remember, and will always be."  
"Uh oh." said Sookie."Hang in there." said Lorelai as she looked at Lauren who was wiping tears from her eyes.

"But my ultimate inspiration comes from my best friend, the dazzling woman from whom I received my name and my life's blood, Lorelai Gilmore."  
"Waterworks..coming.." Lorelai got out.  
"My mother never gave me any idea that I couldn't do whatever I wanted to do or be whomever I wanted to be. She filled our house with love and fun and books and music, unflagging in her efforts to give me role models from Jane Austen to Eudora Welty to Patti Smith. As she guided me through these incredible eighteen years, I don't know if she ever realized that the person I most wanted to be was her...thank you mom. You're my guidepost for everything."  
"Oh god...crying..." said Lorelai."Not doing so well myself." said Jackson.  
"Oh no, not you too." said Lorelai to Luke.  
"I'm blubbering, you're freaks."  
"Paris Eustace Geller." said the teacher.  
"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore." Rory walked up and took her diploma. She made a face at her mother.  
"Lorelai really." said Emily.  
"Class of 2003! Give your self a hand." everyone threw there hats in the air.

Lorelai, Rory and Lauren were in Europe. Everything was going great. Things went so fast. Before anyone knew it, they were on the plane back to Stars Hollow. When they got  
home Babette ran out of the house and told them that she thought they were kidnaped. They gave everyone there presents and gave Luke some jam. Lauren and Rory begged   
Lorelai not to give it to him, be she was persistent and told them that she couldn't hear them, she was too far away. Lauren and Lorelai found out that Sookie was having a baby boy, but Rory and Jackson remained un informed. When they got home Rory realized she wrote the date down wrong, that she was supposed to be at Yale in three days not two weeks. They all rushed to get everything in order. That night Lauren saw Luke pull his truck up into the Gilmore driveway and get Rory's mattress on his truck. Lauren sat by the door and listened to Luke and Lorelai's convocation. nothing interesting. Lauren played with her fingernails when she heard..  
"we got married." Lauren's head perked up and she shoved her ear to the door. Rory came out of her room.  
"Lauren?"  
"Shhh!"  
"What?"  
"Luke got marreid!"  
"What!" Rory put her ear to the door next to Lauren. They listened to Luke tell Lorelai on how they got marreid and got divorced. Rory and Lauren both felt bad and when they heard Lorelai coming back in the house they scurried out of sight.

The rest of the year went by. Luke and Nicole went out again and put the divorce on hold, but he found out she was cheating on him. Lorelai was dating Jason, someone Lauren really, really hated, more then Max. Rory moved to Yale and Lorelai and Lauren missed her like crazy, Lorelai's birthday once again and Lauren's as well. Luke's sister was getting married and Dean did get married. And the inn was having its test run in a few weeks.

Lorelai, Lauren and Rory walked into the diner.  
"Hey, you guys...Luke's coming over here i want you to pay very close attention."  
"To what?" asked Lauren.  
"Shh!"

"Coffee?" asked Luke.  
"Oh, sure coffee would be great Coffee you guys? Yeah, they'll have coffee."

"Okay, you need a minute?"

"Yeah, a minute would be great."  
"Okay."  
"Well!"  
"Well what?" asked Rory and Lauren."You notice anything?"  
"Anything?"  
"Anything weird, anything different?""About Luke?"  
"Of corse about Luke. Did you notice anything different?"  
"Like what?"  
"Like a vibe, an attitude. Did he look at me differently?"  
"Differently than what?"  
"Differently than he did."  
"Differently then he did when?" asked Lauren."Before."  
"Before what?" asked Rory and Lauren mad.  
"Before, before. You guys!"  
"How on earth can you be frustrated with us?" asked Rory.  
"Fine. Come here." Lorelai pushed Lauren and Rory out the door.  
"What's your damage, Heather?" asked Rory.  
"I think I'm dating Luke."  
"What?" asked Rory.  
"You are!" yelled Lauren.  
"I'm not sure. It's just a possibility. I could be wrong."  
"But how? When?"  
"I went with him to his sister's wedding, and it was really nice. We had a really good time. We laughed a lot, and we ate, and then we danced.""Danced? How?" asked Rory.  
"We pop-locked."  
"Was it a fast dance, slow dance, group dance?"

"It was a slow dance. What is "group dance?""  
"The hustle, the hora." said Lauren.  
"No hustle, no hora. It was a slow dance -- a waltz. Luke can waltz."  
"Luke can waltz!"  
"Luke can waltz."

"Look how you just said, "Luke can waltz."" said Rory.  
"What, I'm just saying, I'm surprised that Luke can waltz." "That sounded more like, "I'm surprised I still have my clothes on." said Lauren. Rory nodded.  
"Oh, stop."  
"What else happened?" asked Rory.  
"Nothing. We spent the evening together. We danced, he walked me home, then he asked me to a movie. All of these things individually do not add up to dating, but together, I don't know. And there was this moment, when he walked me home, where I thought -- I don't know."  
"Did you say yes?"  
"When?" "To the movie. Did you say yes?"  
"Yes.""That sounds like dating to me." said Lauren.  
"How would you know, you never been on a date."  
"Gee, thanks for rubbing it in."  
"But maybe he didn't mean it as a date thing. Maybe he just needed to get out of the house, and since I'm currently one of the women sitting home, thinking, "If I could only find a man like Aragorn," he picked me."

"Okay, whoa, this is Luke."  
"I know."  
"Our Luke -- the town Luke. We see him every day. He's a part of our lives."

"I know."  
"I mean, everyone will know. They'll know if you're together, they'll know if you're not together."  
"I know."  
"You can't just date Luke. When you're with Luke, you are with Luke. And if it doesn't work out, it will be really bad for all of us. I mean how do you feel about this? Do you want to be dating Luke?"  
"Okay, we're getting ahead of ourselves here. I don't even know if this is what he's thinking. This could be a totally innocent situation, and then we've done all this what-iffing for nothing. Let's just go back in there and see if anything's weird, okay?"  
"Okay.""Okay."  
the girls entered the diner. Luke asked if everything was okay and Lorelai responded with 'yes' as she gracefully fell as she leaned on the table.

It was the night of the test run. Lorelai was a wreak. Emily and Richard showed up and them having there whole "separation" thing made it all worse. Then Jason showed up and told Luke that Lorelai and him were still an "item". Lauren wondered where Rory was. Lorelai sent her to get CD's a long time ago. Lauren was gonna go home and find her but as she exited out the back door and heard her mother and Luke talking. She was gonna let it go so started walking. When she didn't hear anymore talking she turned around and saw them kissing.

'Oh my God!' Lauren couldn't take her eyes off them. She watched Luke pull Lorelai in and Lorelai cup Luke's face and kiss him again. Then she saw them go in for another kiss and saw Kirk.  
'Oh my god. The first time i see a naked man and its Kirk.' thought Lauren. Lauren was so happy. Ever since that day Lorelai asked them about Luke, when Lauren was eleven, Lauren wanted them to get together. Lauren ran home to tell Rory.

"Rory!" yelled Lauren as she entered the house. Lauren walked over to Rory's room and saw Dean and Rory under the covers kissing. They looked un clothed.  
"Rory?" asked Lauren.  
"Oh shit!" yelled Rory."What the hell are you doing?" yelled Lauren.  
"Lauren.."  
"Rory..he's married!"  
"Lauren i don't need you to lecture me.." they heard a car door slam. Lauren saw her mother zipping through the house. Lauren looked close to tears. How could Rory do this? When Lorelai can in focus she saw Lauren with a sad look on her face.  
"Lauren?" thats when Rory and Dean came out of the room.  
"Dean came over to borrow something." said Rory.  
"Yeah, i should go..thank you...bye Lorelai ..Lauren." said Dean as he left the house.  
"So what he borrow?" asked Lorelai as she saw Rory's rumpled bed. "Lauren go back to the inn please."  
"Yes." Lauren ran out of the house and to the inn.

When Lauren got back to the inn, she was out of breath. She sat on the porch. 'How could Rory do that?' was playing like a broken record in Lauren's mind. Rory was smarter then that. Dean was married. He was with Lindsey. Lauren started to cry. She looked up to her sister as a role model. She wanted to be just like her. She wanted to go to Yale like her sister, Chilton, where she would be going in the fall, Lauren wanted to follow in her sister's footsteps for as long as she could remember. When she was six and they asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would say.."her sister. Rory" and that never changed. But now, she walked in on her sister..having sex, with a married guy. She was like the people you see on Jerry Springer. She was a cheater. She was the other women.

Lauren's thoughts were interrupted when she heard footsteps behind her. She looked up and saw Luke. Luke saw her tear stained face."Hey, what happened?"  
"Nothing..i cant say..something at home." and Lauren ran up the stairs.

The next day, Rory was going to Europe with Emily and Lorelai and her weren't even speaking. Luke and Lorelai were presueing there romantic relationship and for once Lauren loved the person her mother was with. When Rory came back she apologized to Lorelai and Lauren. Lauren told her that she didn't need to say sorry to her, but Rory said she did.

---------------------------------------------------------  
Luke and Lorelai went on there first date. Lauren assumed they were having a good time, since her mother didn't get home till the next morning. Luke, Lorelai and Lauren all went to the town meeting. They took a seat in the back.

"All right, let's move on to the next order of business. Hmm. A very serious matter has been brought to our attention, and I would like to bring to the floor for discussion the possible negative ramifications of the inn owner and diner owner dating."  
"That's us!" said Lorelai."There talking about us." said Luke.  
"Now, as you all know, the relationship we have feared for some time has emerged, and we need to carefully consider whether or not we can support this." said Taylor.  
"Oh, my God!" said Lorelai.  
"Were sitting right here!" said Luke  
"Yes Luke we see you and as a member of the town your welcome to voice your opinion."  
"Voice my.."  
"I open the floor up for discussion. All right. I'll start. Luke's Diner is a staple in this town. Most of us eat there on a regular basis. The Dragonfly Inn, though newer than Luke's Diner, has also become very important in our community. The co-mingling of the owners of these two establishments can only set the stage for disaster.""What the hell is he talking about?" asked Luke.  
"He's not happy with your co-mingling." said Lauren.  
"Think of the consequences. What will happen when the relationship goes sour, as, let's face it, most of Lorelai's relationships do?"  
"Hey!"

"We'll have to choose. Suddenly you'll either be a 'Luke' or a 'Lorelai', or, if you're Kirk and you can't make a decision to save your life, you'll be neither."  
"He's probably right." said Kirk.  
"That's bad for the economy, bad for the town. I vote against this."  
"I think your over reacting, Taylor." said Babette.  
"Yeah Taylor, there happy." said Lauren.  
"People, do I have to remind you about Fay Wellington and Art Brush, huh? Do I?"  
"Uh yeah." said Lorelai and Lauren at the same time.  
"Fay owned a flower shop, and Art owned a candy store, and they fell madly in love about 10 years ago -- big romance." said Babette.  
"And for a while, it all worked very synergistically. Flowers and candy seemed like a perfect match..." said Taylor.  
"Until Art met Margie." said Patty.  
"The fudge queen." chimed in Gypsy.  
"Ooh that was bad." said Babette.  
"The whole town split right down the middle. Suddenly you could buy flowers or you could buy candy."  
"Valentine's day was a nightmare." said Patty.  
"Par, of corse for me." said Kirk.  
"Eventually, the hostility forced Art to move."

"Fay never married. She stopped making candy. It was very sad."  
"And those storefronts were empty for a year. No one wanted to be there."  
"God, this sounds terrible. Maybe they have a point." said Lorelai.  
"No, they don't have a point."  
"Well, what if something happens?""This is crazy. I don't believe that the breakup of Fay Wellington and Art Brush affected the economy of this town one bit."  
"Well, lucky for you, I brought charts."  
"You have charts concerning the romance of two people who used to live here 10 years ago?"

"We think Fay still lives in the caves above the Clancys' Mill. We can't prove it, but every so often, we hear "Delta Dawn" playing over and over." said Kirk.  
"I think that map's a little off. Luke would definitely take the Northwest block 'cause it's near the fishing hole." said Babette.  
"Okay, that's it. I've heard enough." Luke walked up to the podetium."This is my relationship, mine, not yours, not yours, not yours, your's..." he says looking at Lorelai. "But not yours. Mine and hers but not yours...none of you have say in this.." Luke looked at Lauren in her seat waving. "Only you...cause you're her daughter." said Luke pointing to Lauren.  
"Show them the horoscope!" yelled Lorelai.  
"But in the event of a breakup.."  
"There's not gonna be a breakup."' "Well, isn't he the optimistic fellow?" said Gypsy.  
"Fine. In case of a breakup, I'll move. I'll close up Luke's Diner, I'll go far, far away, and that way you won't have to choose, okay? Every section in town can be pink."  
"We have your word on that?"  
"You have my word and a couple of middle fingers on it too.." the meeting was over. Lauren and Lorelai ran up to Luke.  
"You still in?" asked Luke.  
"You bet i am.."  
"Me too!" yelled Lauren. They looked at her each raising an eyebrow. "I mean, i am 100 supportive if this relationship."  
"Really? No obnoctious, rude, mean, and non Lauren, Lauren?""Are you kidding? I waited a long time for this relationship..make it work."  
"Planing on it." said Lorelai as she smiled at Luke.

School started. Lauren already had a homework project due. Only she wasn't sure how to do it. A family description. It was a piece of paper. It said Mother..Father...Siblings...Step mother...Step father...Grandparents...and she was to give a description of each. She was going to put Luke as step father, but didn't know what to write for father. She asked her mother who just told her to write she didn't know him. Lauren wanted something different. All her life, it was say you don't know him, his name was Robert, tell them that you never met...Lauren wanted real answers. She asked around town and everyone gave her odd answers.

Lauren just got home from working on the Franklin. She was still walking in Rory's footsteps, only she wasn't going to sleep with a married man. It was six when she got  
home. Luke and her mother were watching Tv on the couch. They told her they were leaving for the town meeting in a few minutes, if she wanted to come. Lauren told them that she was gonna take a quick shower and meet them there.

Lorelai and Luke piled into the town meeting.  
"Oh Good Lorelai you're here, we wanted to talk to you." said Taylor.  
"Yes?"  
"Lauren as been coming up to everyone, asking about her father..what do you want us to say?"  
"We don't want anything to be different then what your telling her." said Patty.  
"Ooh, just say..that she looks like him, alot..and he had green eyes like hers and freckles..."  
"Have you ever met her father?" asked Patty.  
"No, but Lauren's mother and I were inseparable. She looks just like Tessa."  
"Really."  
"Yeah..Lauren is like the twin of her mother...""Shit." they heard Taylor say. Taylor never cursed, something big must have happened. Lorelai and Luke turned around and saw Lauren looking at them with her mouth open.  
"Oh, my God." said Lorelai and Luke at the same time.  
"Mom? Why are you saying Lauren's mother?..you're my mother..""Lauren..honey.."  
"Your not my mother?" Lauren was now crying. "I was adopted?."  
"Lauren..let me explain..."  
"You never told me? For fifteen years..you never told me...and you all knew?" Lauren was now hysterical crying. "YOU ALL KNEW?" yelled Lauren at the town.  
"Lauren..." said Lorelai. Lauren started hyperventilating.  
"How could you? I..i have to go..i cant be in the same room as all you people..." Lauren ran out.  
"Lauren!" yelled Lorelai. Lorelai cried into Luke's arms. Lorelai went home with Luke and Lauren wasn't there. They looked all over town, but she was no where in sight. All her cloths were still there, so she didn't run away. Lorelai called Rory.  
"Hello?" asked Rory."Is Lauren there?""Mom?"  
"Is Lauren there?""No..why whats the matter?" asked Rory worried.  
"Lauren knows."  
"What?"  
"She heard everyone talking..she knows about Tessa and now we cant find her.."  
"Oh, my God...I'm coming home."  
"You don't..."  
"I coming home.." they hung up.  
Rory arrived home in thirty minutes. She knocked hard on the door and a crying Lorelai opened it. Rory hugged her mother.  
"What happened?"  
"Lauren, was asking people in town about her father..and at the town meeting people were asking me what to say, so that we have a similar story..and i was talking about Tessa and the accident and Lauren was in the back the whole time." "Oh, no!"  
"Yeah, and she ran and we haven't seen her since." said Luke. "We looked all over town, nothing.." just then the phone rang. Rory answered it.  
"Hello?"  
"Yes, is this Ms. Gilmore?" Rory knew that her mother was not in the mood to talk so took the call.  
"Uh, yes this is Ms. Gilmore." Lorelai mouth 'thank you' to her daughter.  
"Are you the mother of Lauren Gilmore?"  
"Lauren? Uh..yes." Lorelai and Luke ran by Rory.  
"Well, Lauren was hit by a car tonight. She is in Hertford Hospital."  
"What?"  
"Good night." Rory started crying.  
"Oh, God..Rory, what happened?" asked Lorelai.  
"Lauren...was hit by a car.." Lorelai looked at Rory for a second and collapsed into Luke's arms. Rory drove her car to the hospital, as Luke took Lorelai in his truck. When they got there they were told that it was dark and Lauren walked in the middle of the street. A car hit her and she broke her arm.  
"That's it?" asked Lorelai. "She just broke her arm?"  
"Yes, lucky too, she was hit in a way, that many people don't live to talk about...she must be a strong girl."  
"Yes, she is." said Rory. The nurse walked Lauren in the hall where she saw Luke, Lorelai and Rory.  
"Lauren!" yelled Lorelai.  
"What?" asked Lauren. Lauren was still crying. She didn't look the three people in they eye. Lorelai had an idea.  
"Hey, Rory, can i borrow your car?"  
"Sure.."  
"Luke can you take Rory back to my place?"  
"Yeah..you okay?""Yeah." Lorelai took Lauren to the cemetery. They stood front of two graves.  
'Tessa Smith.  
Loving mother, daughter and friend.'  
1967-1990'  
Robert Turner.  
Loving father, brother, and son.'  
1966-1990'  
"So these are my parents?" asked Lauren tears in her eyes.  
"Yes."  
"How come you never told me?"  
"I wanted to tell you so many times. Every mother's day, when you would give me a card, when you said your first word, ma-ma. I always found it odd, that your mother would want me to hide that from you. Once i was going to tell you..you were three. I couldn't take it. You gave me for my birthday..the 'best mommy in the world' plaque, and said to myself..'Tessa should be getting this. Not me.' but i couldn't tell you." Lorelai cried.  
"How did you meet..my mother?"  
"We were best friends in Jr. High. We met in the seventh grade and were like sisters. We did almost everything together. We went on vacations with each other's families, we slept over each other's house almost every weekend. We were inseparable. But when i dropped out of high school because i was pregnant, things changed, but not a first. At first, Tessa would come over every day after school and tell me all the stuff i have been missing, she would tell me all the dirt of what happened with the latest couple..she even brought me baby cloths. But when Rory was born, we talked less. We wrote letters and sometimes called each other. At first the letters were pages long, but then they went to just a page, to just a paragraph, to just a few sentences. And then we stopped all together. We never talked. And then i ran with your sister to Stars Hollow and we never talked again. But then one night, i just get a call..saying that she died in an accident..a drunk driver hit her and her boyfriend head on..you were in the backseat. You were just a baby..three months. They didn't think you were gonna live. The first day you came home with me you grabbed my finger and held it tight and put it in your mouth and i smiled, thinking that this could work of great. But i just felt so guilty keeping this all from you. Fifteen years..."  
"Can i ask you a question?"  
"Sure.""Can...i still call you mom?" asked Lauren hopefully. Lorelai smiled and hugged her daughter tight.  
"Of corse..i adopted you...by law i am your mother now."  
"Good..would Tessa been a good mother?"  
"The best. She always loved kids."  
"For some reason i just want to pretend that i never found out. That you're my real mother and Rory is my real sister..but i cant forget it. If none of this happened, i may have never met you, or known this town...and..i wouldn't miss it, because i would have never known it, i find it hard, not to miss this town.." "Yeah, this town is one of a kind."  
"It sure is...hey mom?""Yeah?"  
"Thanks."  
"For what?"  
"For keeping me..." smiled Lauren up at her mom. Lorelai hugged her daughter again.  
Four months later.  
Lauren still couldn't believe that Lorelai was not her mother. She still had a hard time grasping that. Lauren went to the cemetery every week with Lorelai. Sometimes Rory and Luke came. Lauren missed her mother and father, even thought she never really knew them. Lorelai, Luke and Rory walked back to the jeep after visiting the cemetery. Lauren walked behind them.  
"Hey mom!" yelled Lauren.  
"Yeah?"  
"I left something over there I'll meet you by the jeep.""Okay.." Lauren walked over to the grave. She sat down on the grass and just looked at the hedge stones.  
"Mom..thank you for picking Lorelai. She is great. I wish you would have let her tell me, though..about..you and dad. I didn't grow up with a father..but now i will. Luke and her are getting married. I cant believe it. I love you guys..even though i don't remember you. But i just wanted to say thank you."Lauren ran back over to Luke, Lorelai and Rory. They walked back to the jeep. Lauren looked up at the sky and saw the clouds part and a sun beam shine down on her. Lauren knew, that was her parents saying. 'Your welcome.'

The end...


End file.
